Our Lady of Mercy Happenings

We invite everyone to join us Monday evening at St. Joseph?s Oratory at 7:00 p.m. for Mass and devotions in honor of Saint Ann.

Many of you who subscribe to magazines are probably getting renewal notices –they seem to come forever! Please wait in renewing your subscriptions. In just a few weeks we will begin the Magazine Drive at Holy Family School. Many of you initially subscribed through this drive so continue to support the school by renewing or giving gift subscriptions through us.

TUITION ANGELS –for the last several years many of you have helped less fortunate families in our community send their children to our school by assisting with a gift toward their tuition. The Tuition Angels program has truly helped many families. Please consider what you might be able to do this year to help. Next week special envelopes will be available in the church for this.

This week we are offering prayers for the First Baptist Church, their congregation and their pastor, Rev. Dave Weidman.

The Diocese of Buffalo wishes to honor couples who will observe their 50th, 60th, and 70th wedding anniversaries and recognize the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice, and joy in daily married life. Couples celebrating their Golden and Diamond Anniversaries of Marriage in 2010 are invited to a special Mass at St. Joseph?s Cathedral on Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. During the Mass couples will renew their marriage vows. A reception will follow at the Buffalo Convention Center. Family members are encouraged and most welcome to attend both the Mass and reception. For further information or to register, contact the parish office at (585) 768-6543.

No one needs to struggle alone. Families, children, adults and seniors can count on Catholic Charities? professional and highly trained counseling experts for help with day to day troubles and serious concerns. We have 62 offices throughout the eight counties of Western New York where we serve about 160,000 people each year with 70-plus services and programs. For more information or to find your neighborhood Catholic Charities office, visit www.ccwny.org or call (716) 856-4484.

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) will begin a new session this fall.
The RCIA program might be of interest to you if you find yourself in any of the following situations:

• You are searching for a church to call your own and you have a general curiosity about the Catholic Church
• You are unbaptized, or are baptized in another faith, but seek full communion with the Catholic Church
• You are Catholic and attend Mass and other services regularly, but you are in need of sacrament preparation for Eucharist or confirmation

Please call the parish office for more information or to register.

Please remember that we have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every Thursday at St. Joseph Oratory following the 8:00 am Mass and continuing until 6:00pm. Please take a moment out of your day to stop in and make a visit to our Lord.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

People have lots of prayers that they would like an-swered. Whether it is petitions written into the Book of Intercessions at church, requests made of a priest or a friend, entreaties offered to God before bed, or appeals made in the midst of a crisis, we are always looking for an answer. Sometimes we pray knowing what we want, like a child sitting on Santa's lap with a list of Christmas toys. And many times we pray with the expectation that God will see things our way and give us what we ask for.

In this week's Gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer. Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer is a little different from Matthew's, but it is essentially the same. In Jesus' methodology, prayer starts with praising God (hallowed be your name) and then asks God to do what God wants (your kingdom come). Only then does prayer move on to posing our requests for God's consideration (give us each day our daily bread). And finally we ask for God's help (forgive us our sins). The Lord's Prayer became so much a part of Christian praying that the Fathers of the Church (early Christian writers like St. Augustine, St. Gregory, and St. Leo the Great) recommended that if a person couldn't remember any other prayer (like a psalm) he or she should just pray the Lord's Prayer instead.

The method of prayer that Jesus lays out for his disciples includes one final aspect-one that we like to forget. Luke's version puts it this way, "for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us." More commonly we say, "as we forgive those who trespass against us." Are we ready to have God act that way toward us? Do we really want God to treat us the way we treat others? That is the challenge, if we continue to pray the Lord's Prayer day after day.

Liturgical Publications Inc

July 26 is the feast of Joachim and Anna.
Who are they and what do we know about them?

Joachim and Anna are the parents of Mary, the mother of Jesus, yet there is abso-lutely no Biblical reference to them whatsoever. So where do we get their names, and what is their story?

Their names are found in an apocryphal (hidden) Gospel known as "The Infancy Gospel of James." Apocryphal, or hidden Gospels, consist of accounts of Jesus' life that were ultimately not accepted as inspired works, and thus were not included in the Bible. However, they sometimes captured the Christian imagination and spilled out into the devotional and festal dimension of the Christian community.

James' infancy Gospel begins with the parents of Mary and their desire for a child. In their prayer and peti-tions to God, they are heard and given the blessings of a child, whom they named Mary. While we have no idea who Mary's parents really were, the fact that we celebrate the feast of Joachim and Anna indicates that the bond of family love is important in the Christian life.

Long before Grandparents' Day was established on the first Sunday in September, the church had a feast that honored the presumed grandparents of Jesus. While their names are part of non-inspired apocryphal legends, the fact of the Savior's human ancestry is not. Christ, the incarnate Word, dwelt among us in the flesh in a human family. In honoring the grandparents of Jesus we really proclaim our faith in the incarnation - God becoming hu-man!

(c)2006 Liturgical Publications Inc, New Berlin, WI 53151

 

MASS IN HONOR OF SAINT ANN   MOTHER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND GRANDMOTHER OF JESUS MONDAY, JULY 26TH 7:00 P.M. Mass Devotional Prayers to St. Ann Veneration of St. Ann’s Relic Coffee and cookies following Mass SAINT JOSEPH’S ORATORY

DAILY PRAYER TO SAINT ANN O glorious St. Ann, you are filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer! Heavily burdened with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg of you to take the present intention which I recommend to you in your special care. Please recommend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and place it before the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Continue to intercede for me until my request is granted. But, above all, obtain for me the grace one day to see my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints to praise and bless Him for all eternity. Amen. Our Father, . . . Hail Mary . . . O Jesus, Holy Mary, St. Ann, help me now and at the hour of my death. Good St. Ann, intercede for me.

 

Daily Mass is celebrated at
St. Joseph’s Oratory 7:00 & 8:00 a.m.
Monday to Friday
and 9:00 a.m.
on Saturday

At St. Brigid’s in Bergen
Tuesday and Thursday at 8:00 a.m.

WEEKEND MASSES ARE AS FOLLOWS
Saturday Vigil 4:30 p.m.
Sunday 7:15, 8:30, 10:30 a.m. & 7:00 p.m.
at St. Peter’s Church in LeRoy

Saturday Vigil 5:00 p.m. - Sunday 9:00 a.m.
at St. Brigid’s Church in Bergen

THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
(confessions)
Is available every Saturday in LeRoy from
3:00 to 4:00 pm and in Bergen from
4:00 to 4:30 pm

Happening Elsewhere

Connect your high school graduate to the Catholic campus ministry at their college this fall by adding your son's or daughter's name to the College Connection Program. The Department of Youth & Young Adult Ministry and the Buffalo Serra Vocation Club collect the names of high school graduates along with their intended college and its location. That information is then forwarded to the campus ministries who greet the students upon arrival. So, enroll your son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter, or yourself by adding your/their name to the Enrollment Form found online: http://www.dobyouth.org.

Relay For Life of Batavia is scheduled for August 13th and 14th from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. at Vandetta Stadium at 120 Richmond Ave. of Batavia. We are in need of cancer survivors, teams, sponsors, and volunteers for our inaugural event in Batavia. Relay For Life is an overnight team fundraising event in the fight against cancer. Teams of people take turns walking the track throughout the night, because “cancer never sleeps.” Join us for our Opening Ceremonies or stay the entire night! There will be food, fun and activities all night long! Registration fee is $10. For more information or to donate visit the website www.relayforlife.org/BataviaNY or call 1-800-227-2345.

Notre Dame High School (the #1 ranked high school in Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming County) is noted for academic excellence achieved in an atmosphere steeped in values and the Roman Catholic tradition. Give your son or daughter the key to academic success! Come see for yourself. Catch the Irish Spirit at www.ndhsbatavia.com. Accepting applications for 2010-2011 school year. Contact Dr. Joseph Scanlan Notre Dame High School Principal at (585) 343-2783.

Help with Annulment Papers: Need help writing annulment papers? Get it done in one weekend at the Annulment Writing Workshop, Friday, August 20th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, August 21st from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in St. Leo the Great School, Holy Family Wing, 885 Sweet Home Road in Amherst. The $20 registration fee includes snacks, lunch and supplies. To register, call Barbara Wyse at 716-633-7786.

The Diocese of Buffalo wishes to honor couples who will observe their 50th, 60th, and 70th wedding anniversaries and recognize the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice, and joy in daily married life. Couples celebrating their Golden and Diamond Anniversaries of Marriage in 2010 are invited to a special Mass in St. Joseph’s Cathedral on Sunday, October 17, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. During the Mass couples will renew their marriage vows. A reception will follow at the Buffalo Convention Center. More details to follow in the coming weeks.

Holy Family Parish of Albion, NY will hold their Lawn Fete on Sunday, August 15, 2010 from noon to 5:00 p.m. at the Elk’s Grounds located at 428 W. State Street in Albion (16 miles north from Thruway exit 48). They will have great ethnic foods such as beef on weck, Italian sausage, hots, goulash, pizza, pasta facioli, fried dough, beer and drinks. There will be games of chance, a raffle booth, basket raffles, bake sale, children’s games and much more. For tickets and questions call (585) 589-4243.

Single Parent Family Camp will be held August 22-28 at Camp Stella Maris, Livonia, NY. This is a place where single parents and their children can work in a safe, loving and fun atmosphere to strengthen the family unit, find a place to heal, and receive support from other single parents who have also suffered the pain of divorce, separation or death of a spouse. Blending families are also welcome. Information: call the Camp at 585-346-2243x104 or Tom Bardo at 716-631-8666.

A weekend away for a LIFETIME of change. The Beginning Experience is a weekend program meant for persons who have worked through the initial anger and despair which occurs in the first stages of grief after the death, separation or divorce of one's spouse. One can turn the pain of loss to an experience of positive growth. Beginning Experience is a Christian based non-denominational program under the auspices of the Diocese of Rochester. The program takes place at Camp Stella Maris on Conesus Lake. Open to all. For more information, call the Beginning Experience Hotline 585 987-1750 or Stephen and Liz Wascak at 585 237-5155. The next weekend is October 15-17.

Summertime with Jesus and Your Family: Your 2010 free Summer Spirituality Tool Box of Ideas is filled with practical ways to make summertime a sacred time. It is a perfect companion for your family throughout the sum-mer months, whether vacationing or at home. For your free Tool Box, call Family Life Ministries at 716-847-2210 or email familylife@buffalodiocese.org.

Divorced, separated, widowed? Many have found great comfort in BRIDGES meetings on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm in the Rectory Conference Room of St. Bernadette Church, 5930 South Abbott Road, Orchard Park. If you would like an email update, please forward your name to Tracy at carboni@roadrunner.com. For more information, call Pat at 716-677-9375 or the Office of Family Life Ministries at 716-847-2210.

Natural Family Planning provides couples with a safe effective means to achieve or avoid pregnancy and gain understanding of their gift of fertility. A new video „Plan Your Family Naturally: An Introduction To Natural Family Planning? is now available and will enhance and enrich your marriage preparation efforts. Two married couples and NFP educators share their own experience giving heartfelt, real-life witness to its effectiveness, challenges and many benefits … practical, relational and spiritual … as they cooperate with God?s natural plan for married sexuality. Produced by the Diocese of Rockville Centre/Office of Faith Formation. Visit http://www.drvc-faith.org.

Calling All Catholic Elementary School Alumni! The Catholic Alumni Partnership, a privately funded program reconnecting Catholic school alumni, wants to hear from graduates of WNY Catholic elementary schools, whether their schools are open or closed. Please be on the lookout for mailings inviting alums to reconnect with their elementary school communities and support WNY Catholic elementary school education. Alumni are the bedrock of Catholic education's legacy in Western New York. Please join us! Visit http://clickYES.com to register or contact Cyndi Horrigan at (716) 847-8374 or Ginny Wallace at (716) 847-8375 for more information

The Alzheimer's Association (716-626-0600 or http://www.alz.org/wny) provides information on many support groups for caregivers across the eight counties of Western New York. Locations and dates for meetings, contacts, and other helpful resources and information are available for those who are caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's or a related dementia. The Alzheimer's Association also trains volunteers on how to care for an individual with this condition.

Theology on Tap: is a casual Catholic speaker series where young adults in their 20’s and 30’s from all walks of life gather for straight talk, hard facts and real answers on the Catholic faith and how it applies to daily life. Come learn about the Catholic faith in a new and exciting way! The next T.O.T. is on Tuesday, February with Eddy Simon, lay missionary for St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy, speaking on “Free at Last: A Former Drug Addict’s Witness to God’s Mercy.” The event will take place at Coles, 1104 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. Doors open at 6:00 p.m; talk begins at 7:30 p.m. For more information check us on the at web www.wlof.net